


The tide

by Nieri_is_a_cat



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Pirate, But hey Mari is a pirate!, Do Not Leave Me Alone In The Tags, F/M, I honestly had another fic in mind but eh, I'm trying here sorry, Tim is a Triton?, it was kinda complicated too write so oopsie, so uh, sorry P
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:27:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28612071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nieri_is_a_cat/pseuds/Nieri_is_a_cat
Summary: She had never seen anything like him, didn't even know what he could be, but there was no denying she was curious. Maybe she would have done better keeping her curiosity for herself, wouldn't have she? But eh, what's done's done, right? Right.
Relationships: Tim Drake/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 5
Kudos: 47





	The tide

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PL_Panda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PL_Panda/gifts).



> Hey P! Happy Gift! i hope you like it :))))
> 
> Honestly this wasn't even the first idea I had, but I couldn't really write anything for the other one because inspiration juice was very little ;;u;;   
> Anyway, it's got a complementary drawing on tumblr! :)))
> 
> I also did definitely not expect you to be my giftee lol, and when I saw you wrote me a soulmate au, I was like "coincidence? I THINK NOT" bc soulmate was like, the first thing I thought for this fic XD XD XD
> 
> Nieri :)

Marinette had seen it first, and she’d been the only one. She knew, because if her crew had seen it, then probably Chloé would’ve captured it. Or tried to. It seemed to be quite intelligent, if she had to judge. 

The  _ Fortune _ was anchored in a small bay for the night, not one chosen at random, and she and her crew were on still-ground to explore the island, since the rumours they had heard pointed at it as an island with a treasure. A very rich, very big treasure. Very powerful too, if the old man who had given her the map was anything to go by. So yes, on the island, Marinette had seen it first. Even if she had actually seen it since they were far at sea... It seemed it had followed them for quite a while, and Marinette still had to understand what it was honestly. A big fish, maybe - not a whale, too small to be a whale - or maybe a dolphin, but the colour was wrong and the tail was quite different from that of a dolphin. 

The island was uninhabited, as far as they all were concerned, and Chloé had confirmed it with the help of her magic - magic they had had to accept it just  _ was _ . It had been used as a settlement though, in the past: the old shacks and the small dock were proof enough of that. 

It wasn’t really that big, for an island, but it was secure, with woods and a mountain, and, if Kim and Adrien were to be believed, a small waterfall and a lake in a protected clear - perfect for defence and shelter. And so here they were. Her crew was at the clear, at the moment, having fun probably - she couldn’t fault them, they had been at sea for the good part of two months without stopping to towns  _ and _ dodging Hawkmoth’s attempts at kidnapping them - but Marinette? Oh no, Marinette was too curious for her own good, and to having fun with her crew she had preferred scouring the sea for that creature. 

So at the bay, she was, walking back and forth on the shoreline and looking for it. It was... it was as if she was drawn to it in some way even she couldn’t understand. She bet Chloé couldn’t understand it either. 

“Where are you?” She murmured under her breath, eyes searching the expanse of weirdly calm water. 

And then, as if it had been summoned, right in her line of sight, a scaled tail appeared from the water. Marinette, without thinking about it twice, ran to the dock. The closer to the water, the better, right?

Right.

The creature stopped when it was already close enough for her to see a head of black hair, or what she assumed was black hair, and she could almost see eyes observing her. Studying her. It  _ was _ intelligent, then. Marinette waited, and so did the creature. They were both waiting for the other to move first, but neither were willing to make the first move. 

_ Ah, ironic. _

“Come here.” It sounded like a plea even to her own ears, and Marinette inwardly chastised herself because  _ really? Pleading a creature to come eat you? _ If it did indeed eat people. She didn’t know, but she assumed it could. 

But then, it  _ complied. _ It was quick, she noticed, and it swam close enough to the water surface that she could see it wasn’t a fish, or a dolphin -  _ dolphins don’t have hair, you cretin _ \- and that it was  _ part human. _

_ A siren _ , she thought to herself,  _ I just invited a siren to come eat me. Sweet. _

The siren was a male, now that it was close she could see it clearly, with a mop of black hair and intelligent blue eyes. Observing her, still. Marinette crouched on the dock, closer to the water - like an idiot, she might add, closer to his reach, closer to being eaten - and slowly, gently, she beckoned him to come closer. And once again, he followed her lead. 

_ Why? Why is he listening to me?  _

He was so close now, and if she stuck out a little bit more off the dock, she would be able to touch his face. She didn’t, but she nevertheless scooted closer to the wooden edge of safety. 

And then he spoke. 

“I’m not a siren.” 

His voice was... not as pretty as she thought. It was low, warm. It felt- it felt  _ right,  _ somehow. And then she processed his words. 

“You’re not a siren? So you aren’t going to eat me?”

He snickered, then lifted himself on the dock. Well, the human half of him, at least. His tail, a beautiful dark red with blotches of black here and there, stayed in the water, moving lazily to keep him upright. 

“I’m not a siren,” he repeated, “but I know humans get us confused quite  _ a lot _ .” And then, under his breath, “I honestly have no idea how or why, sirens are  _ half birds _ , for the gods!  _ It’s not that hard to get right! _ ” 

At his small outburst, Marinette couldn’t help the chuckles that escaped her mouth, and the not-siren looked at her like she’d grown two heads, which was hypocritical, in her opinion, since he was the one with a fish tail. 

“Then,” she asked between bursts of laughter, “then what are you?” 

“I’m a triton!” He sounded insulted, for some reason. “We get the name from our father, Triton, one of the old gods of the sea, and well, you might know our female counterparts. Mermaids.” 

Marinette did indeed know of mermaids, or at least she had heard about them. Beautiful women, half fish, who lived in the depths of the sea. Never met anyone who had encountered them for real, though. 

The triton was still watching her like a hawk, following her whenever she moved even just an inch. He was pensive, though, as immobile as a statue, and if it wasn’t for the steady raising and lowering of his chest, she’d think he was one. 

“I’m Marinette.” She offered then, because she couldn’t really stand the silence, “Do you have a name?”

“Of course I have a name. Who doesn’t?” 

“Then what is it?”

After a beat of silence, “I’m Timothy. Tim, for short.” 

Marinette nodded, silently wondering if she should tell him that strange feeling that had overtaken her like a wave, that strange connection she felt to him.

“There’s a pull.” 

She hadn’t even been sure she had heard him, for how low his voice was, but then again, she did hear the words, like a soft echo in the distance.

“A pull?” She’d questioned then.

He nodded. “A pull. Towards you.” 

_ Oh. So he feels the same. _

“A pull.” Marinette echoed him, “Towards  _ you. _ ” 

And then, softly, almost whispering. “May I touch your face?” 

Tim nodded again, helding still while she moved her hand slowly to cup his cheek. 

It was like a lightning bolt had suddenly passed through the tip of her fingers right to his skin. A sudden surge of electricity neither of them knew how to control. And it was  _ scary _ . Marinette snatched her hand back like he’d burned her, and Tim blinked in confusion.

“What was  _ that? _ ” 

“I don’t know.” And then. “But maybe... maybe it was that...?”

He sounded unsure, but a hint, even if smaller than the nail on her pinky, was better than nothing.

“That?”

“That.” He confirmed. He didn’t continue right away, and Marinette waited patiently for him to continue.

“There’s a legend, a myth, among my people.” Tim started slowly, “It says that we all are cursed, cursed by the old gods. They were angry with us for... for reasons, no one ever explained that part very well, honestly.” He looked at her intently, and she nodded, encouraging him to keep going. He nodded back. “Anyway, the curse said that our soul would be divided in half at birth and that we’d wander the seas like ghosts, searching for our missing half...” 

“And the missing half, how would that feel to get it back?” 

He smiled sadly, “That’s the point. You can’t get your missing half back, that’s the curse, you’ll always be missing part of yourself. But you can live with whoever has it, as close as possible, and then, in the afterlife you’ll get it back. Maybe.” 

“That’s  _ sad! _ ” 

He shrugged, “It’s a curse. And to answer your previous question? They say it feels like electricity cursing through your body.” 

_ Oh. What are we going to do now? This- this is too big. _

“I can hear you thinking. Wanna share? Maybe... maybe we can understand what to do together...”

Marinette shook her head, then nodded once. “It’s- we’re two  _ different species _ , just- I don’t know. I’m scared...” she confessed. “I don’t know what to do and it terrifies me.”

And for the first time since they’d started talking, Tim smiled. Slowly he took her hand in his and squeezed. “I’m scared too, but you know what I’m not scared of?”

She shook her head once more.

His smile widened, “It’s  _ you _ . I’m not scared of  _ you  _ because I can feel you wouldn’t leave. And this? This might look like the biggest rift ever, right now. But together? Together I’m sure we’ll overcome it.”

Marinette felt like smiling back, and she did, a tentative smile stretching her lips upwards.

And maybe,  _ maybe, _ she thought, this wouldn’t be so bad.

**Author's Note:**

> The author likes to chat in the comments. Only positive criticism will be accepted.
> 
> Recently I don't have the strength to reply to comments ;;u;;
> 
> sorry y'all, I'll prolly reply in like, three weeks to three months ;;u;;


End file.
